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USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Greg Sankey not in a hurry to expand College Football Playoff
College football is a constantly evolving sport that has seen a number of changes take place over the last decade and a half. Realignment, the College Football Playoff, the transfer portal, and name, image, and likeness has changed the game. As teams prepare for the 2025 college football season, the game will continue to change as discussion continue about the future of the playoff. When Greg Sankey speaks, whether in Destin or at SEC media days, the college football world listens. While he didn't break down any details on the future of SEC scheduling or the College Football Playoff. He spent time defending the league's eight-game schedule, saying, "I don't believe there's anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by the Southeastern Conference teams in our conference schedule, be it eight or nine. There is a rigor here that is unique." One of the biggest issues that college football faces is the constant evolution of the College Football Playoff. There has been a lot of discussion about moving to a 16-team playoff, but the Power Five conferences can't agree on a format. There's a lot of momentum for the 5+11 model, where the Power Four conference champions and the highest-rated Group of Six champion earn an automatic bid, and then 11 at-large bids are handed out. One of those at-large bids would go to Notre Dame if they were ranked inside the top 16. But the Big Ten is hoping for more automatic qualifiers to an expanded playoff. The proposal would give the Big Ten and the SEC four automatic bids to the playoff while the Big 12 and the ACC would each get just two. The Group of Six would still get a spot. There would be fewer at-large bids available to fill out the 16 teams. "The Big Ten has a different view," Sankey said. "That's fine. We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree. I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment, and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced, no. I think, when you're given authority, you want to be responsible in using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so." No expansion is certainly an option, and it doesn't seem like Greg Sankey is in any hurry to force it. There's plenty of time to figure it out, but a decision will need to be made one way or the other in the coming months, so teams can fill out or adjust their schedules accordingly. One of the sticking points from the Big Ten's side is the conference schedule. The Big Ten is at nine conference games and believes the SEC should follow suit. According to Sankey, strength of schedule is not an issue in the SEC. They're playing nine Power Four games every year anyway. The SEC, which has been at the forefront of the explosion of the sport over the last two decades, doesn't feel the need to do a nine-game conference schedule just to do a nine-game conference schedule. If it makes sense and is in the best interest of the SEC and college football as a whole, the SEC will go that direction. But until then, Sankey is content to stay at eight and keep the current College Football Playoff format. And with so many changes that have occurred in the sport over the last decade, a little continuity isn't a bad thing. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
The SEC and Big Ten currently are at a standstill over the College Football Playoff format
ATLANTA — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that despite frequent conversations with Big Ten counterpart Tony Petitti, the two leagues have yet to agree on the College Football Playoff format after this upcoming season and could leave it at 12 teams. The disagreement doesn't stem from a lack of communication. Sankey said he spoke with Petitti four times last week. 'We had a different view coming out of Destin around the notion of allocations,' Sankey said. 'The Big Ten has a different view. That's fine. We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree.' The Big Ten, which has won the last two national championships, favors a 4-4-2-2-1 format, giving four automatic bids to the SEC and Big Ten and awarding the ACC and Big 12 two bids apiece. The SEC, originally thought to be on the same page, switched gears at its spring meetings in Destin. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons. The CFP announced in May that teams in the upcoming playoff will be seeded strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. Last season's jumbled bracket, the first with 12 teams, gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth, respectively, by the playoff selection committee. That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two different things. The five highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playoff. While the CFP contract from 2026 through the 2031 season requires the SEC and Big Ten to consult other leagues about prospective changes to the playoff system, it also provides them with the ability to impose changes they both want. Now it's a matter of getting on the same page. 'I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion and it has to be forced — no,' Sankey said. 'When you're given authority, you want to be responsible in using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so. The upfront responsibility in this, maybe where some of the confusion lies, is we have the ability to present a format or format ideas, gather information, see if we can all agree within that room. We don't need unanimity.'
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sankey provides update on SEC's potential move to nine-game schedule
Oregon won the Big Ten regular-season football title last year with a 9-0 record. Arizona State, Iowa State, Brigham Young and Colorado tied for the Big 12 regular-season title with 7-2 records. Over in the SEC, Texas won the crown during the regular season at 7-1. Nine plus zero equals nine. Seven plus two equals nine. But seven plus one, that's only eight. And therein lies the problem. The problem as far other conferences see things, anyway. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey spoke Monday at the opening of SEC Football media days from Atlanta about a number of topics, not least of which was where the league stood on increasing its conference schedule from eight games to nine. With the way the College Football Playoff works, an eight-game conference slate provides the SEC an inherent advantage over schools that play a nine-game schedule. Namely, it provides an advantage over the next two most powerful conferences in the sport. Sankey suggested a decision would be coming around the corner. "We have to make decisions about the '26 season and adjust," Sankey said. "If we're going to go to nine games, then there have to be games moved or rescheduled. If we stay at eight, probably a little easier on that part of the logistics. Once we make a decision in the conference office, we're pretty much ready to go." Eight league games are on the slate for the 2025 season, but most SEC teams have only three nonconference opponents scheduled for 2026 and later. Oklahoma, for example, will host Texas-El Paso and New Mexico in 2026 and will also travel to Michigan. The Sooners don't currently have a fourth out-of-league opponent scheduled. The reason eight games are preferable to nine in the SEC is that a fourth non-league game almost certainly provides an easier opponent than a fellow SEC team would provide. OU is better off playing Kent State, as the Sooners are set to do this season, than, say, Kentucky, even if the Wildcats are considered one of the lesser teams in the SEC. Kent State could more easily be chalked up to a win, thereby potentially giving Oklahoma one more win than its Big Ten or Big 12 counterparts. As for when the SEC will decide, Sankey suggested the league would take up talks again in league's spring meetings in Destin, Florida. "If you go back to when we made our last decision, it was in Destin, and two weeks later we had opponents out," he said. "Shortly thereafter, we were prepared with dates and sites sort of thing." Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
College Football Playoff might not be expanded due to big conferences disagreeing on changes
Related : The Big Ten, which has won the last two Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The CFP Advertisement That system made the rankings and the seedings in the tournament two different things. The five highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the playoff. Advertisement While the CFP contract from 2026 through the 2031 season requires the SEC and Big Ten to consult other leagues about prospective changes to the playoff system, it also provides them with the ability to impose changes they both want. It's a matter of getting on the same page. 'I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion and it has to be forced — no,' Sankey said. 'When you're given authority, you want to be responsible in using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so. The upfront responsibility in this, maybe where some of the confusion lies, is we have the ability to present a format or format ideas, gather information, see if we can all agree within that room. We don't need unanimity.'
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Business
- NBC Sports
'We have the best hand to play': How Greg Sankey, the SEC and the Big Ten will steer the future of college football
Ahmed Fareed, Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry debate if the College Football Playoff should expand once again, discussing what went well in the first-ever 12-team playoff and what is concerning amid expansion talks. ATLANTA — Greg Sankey has finished 41 marathons. And he's decided the grueling nature of a marathon makes it the apt comparison for the current state of college sports. On Monday here at Southeastern Conference media days, he described the post-House settlement as a marathon. That makes sense; trying to implement a system of revenue-sharing contracts and an NIL clearinghouse is messy, confusing and perhaps still multiple lawsuits away from settling into a new normal. But there is a second and perhaps more interesting marathon in progress, too. Sankey compared the process of moving from a four-team College Football Playoff field to 12 (and potentially 16) to the ups and downs of running that particular race. Some parts of a marathon are going to be hard, others easier — but the finish line makes it all worth it. Will that be the case for the College Football Playoff? Already, the frustrations have bubbled up and the fissures between various parties become clear. And, because of that, it's quite possible the eventual outcome here is that the stakeholders opt to stand pat and stay put at 12. 'We have a 12-team Playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree,' Sankey said. 'I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced. No.' If the Big Ten and SEC don't agree to change the model, it won't change. The Big Ten supports a model with four automatic bids for both the Big Ten and SEC, two apiece for the ACC and Big 12, one for the highest-ranked conference champion outside of the Power 4 and at-large bids for the rest (in a 14- or 16-team bracket). The Big 12 and ACC support the 5+11 model, which includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large spots in a 16-team field. The Big Ten would not support a format with so many at-large spots without the SEC adding a ninth conference game to mirror the Big Ten's league schedule. (And the SEC argues that no one in the Big Ten would trade its nine for the SEC's eight because the SEC is tougher.) SEC coaches on the whole prefer the 5+11 CFP model. Sankey said on Monday that he has always supported any version of a bracket that was simply the 'best' teams, no automatic bids at all. So, it's safe to say he'll back his coaches' preference for an at-large heavy model. 'We had a different view coming out of (SEC spring meetings) around the notion of allocations,' Sankey said, referring to automatic bids. 'I think you'll probably hear that again from our coaches. The Big Ten has a different view; that's fine.' CFP executive director Rich Clark told NBC Sports that there is a sense of urgency around the expansion conversation although there are no in-person commissioners' meetings scheduled until late September. Clark said the commissioners are being 'deliberate' about the decision. They must tell ESPN by Dec. 1 if they are changing the format in advance of the 2026 season, the first year of a new media rights deal that stretches through the 2031-32 campaign. Clark said earlier this summer he hoped that the commissioners' format decision would be for the duration of the new ESPN contract. But he said Monday that might not be the case. 'It would be great to have a decision that lasted and endured throughout, but I don't want to tie us down to that,' Clark said. 'If we need to change something because we go through a season and the commissioners realize that there needs to be a tweak here and there, we need to do it. We need to have that freedom. 'But the fewer changes, the better. It lets fans settle in. It lets the coaches and the teams understand what they're coming into in the postseason. A bit of consistency would be really helpful.' Clark said there will be tweaks to both the selection committee process (including the recusal policy) and the data made available to the group. Both are undergoing evaluation now, and new metrics will be presented to the commissioners before they are implemented. Both process and metric decisions are expected to be made by mid-August, so they can be communicated to this year's selection committee. One significant change moving forward is that the Big Ten and SEC will largely control CFP decision-making. In the past, decisions had to be unanimous among the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director. Now, 'if (there isn't unanimity), there's a level of authority granted to the SEC and the Big Ten together,' Sankey said. Clark described it as the two commissioners looking to build consensus and work with their peers, unless no consensus can be reached. Then, they can act unilaterally. 'It's not you just show up, you pound your fist and something happens,' Sankey said. 'I hope that type of narrative can be reduced.' Still, the tension persists. Sankey did not mention Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark by name but referred to him multiple times during his session with the media here on Monday. Then once again, by omission, when he mentioned speaking with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips last week. And then he played off of Yormark's remark last week that the Big 12 was 'doubling down' on its support for the 5+11 model. 'That's part of the gambling experience, as I understand it — you always want to have a really good set of cards,' Sankey said. 'You want to have a good hand to play, right? I think we have the best hand to play.' And that's ultimately what this comes down to. Two of the stakeholders in this game — the Big Ten and SEC — have the best hands, so they get to determine where the sport goes next. Or if it stays put at 12 for the time being: a decision in its own right, even if prompted by an impasse. 'It's hard to predict if there's going to be a change and what it would be,' Clark said. 'I will say that the conversations that we're having in the room are very positive, and I feel like they're addressing all the right issues to really get to a good decision. 'It's going to be a good decision for college football.'
